 Montgomery County had several plantations and slavery was common during the early-mid 1800s.The lowlands surrounding the Loutre River as it approached the Missouri River plain were farmed with hemp and tobacco, primarily with the use of slave labor.An African-American settlement was founded around 1800 commonly called Little Africa on one of the county’s highest points at almost 1,000 feet of elevation overlooking the Loutre River near McKittrick.